Tag Archives: George Shaw,

3rd April – Deaths & Events in Northern Ireland Troubles

Deaths in the Troubles, , , , , , , , , , ,

Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

3rd April

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Friday 3 April 1970

As part of a new ‘get tough’ policy, Ian Freeland, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) the British Army, warned that those throwing petrol bombs could be shot dead if, after a warning, they did not stop using them.

If arrested those using petrol bombs could face a sentence of 10 years in prison. A member of the Garda Siochana (Irish police) was shot dead during a robbery in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.

Thursday 3 April 1980

Kincora Scandal

Three staff members of the Kincora Boys Home, Belfast, were charged with acts of gross indecency. [These charges, and subsequent revelations, led to years of accusations that elements of the security service, civil servants and a number of Loyalists had been involved in the sexual abuse of young boys at Kincora.]

Saturday 3 April 1981

 See 1981 Hunger Strike

Wednesday 3 April 1985

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a car bomb outside the Courthouse in Newry, County Down. The blast killed an Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer and a civilian worker employed at the Courthouse.

Thursday 3 April 1986

John Hume, then leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), praised the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) for its even-handed approach to the disturbances in Portadown, County Armagh.

Friday 3 April 1987

The IRA killed two members of the security forces in separate incidents.

Friday 3 April 1992

James Molyneaux, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), advised those people who supported the UUP to vote for Peter Robinson, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), in East Belfast and for Jim Kilfedder, Ulster Popular Unionist Party (UPUP), in North Down.

[As in previous elections, the DUP and the UUP observed an electoral pact in those constituencies where a contest between Unionist candidates might lead to a Nationalist winning the seat. In North Down the UUP intention was to support the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) and to prevent the election of a Conservative Party candidate.]

Wednesday 3 April 1996

Ron Brown, then United States of America Commerce Secretary was killed in a plane crash in Croatia. Ron Brown had been involved in measures to increase American investment in Northern Ireland.

Thursday 3 April 1997

There was widespread disruption on the motorways of England when the Irish Republican Army (IRA) warned of bombs on the M1, M5 and M6.

Two small bombs were subsequently found by the police.

The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) intercepted a suspicious package that had been addressed to Kevin McQuillan, then leader of the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP).

Friday 3 April 1998

Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), travelled to London to meet with Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, for further talks on the Peace Process. This was their third meeting in three days.

The Parades Commission ruled against allowing the Apprentice Boys of Derry to march down the mainly Catholic area of the lower Ormeau Road in Belfast on Easter Monday.

Edward_Daly_Bloody_Sunday

The second inquiry into the events surrounding ‘Bloody Sunday’ in Derry on 30 January 1972 was opened in the Guildhall in the city. The new inquiry was headed by an English Law Lord, Lord Saville, and the other two members of the panel were Edward Somers, a retired New Zealand judge, and William Hoyt, a judge from Canada.

See Bloody Sunday

Rosemary-Nelson--001

Rosemary Nelson, then a solicitor working in Lurgan, travelled to New York to inform United Nations (UN) officials and United States politicians about death threats to, and intimidation of, lawyers working in Northern Ireland.

Nelson highlighted the allegations that Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers had made threats against lawyers, including herself, through their clients.

[Nelson was assassinated on 15 March 1999 in Lurgan. The Red Hand Defenders (RHD), a Loyalist paramilitary group, claimed responsibility for the killing, but there were claims that the security forces had colluded with the killers.]

See Rosemary Nelson

Saturday 3 April 1999

Brian Keenan, then a leading Belfast Republican, addressed a rally in Inishkeen, County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland. Keenan said that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) would not be forced into a ‘surrender’ in the form of decommissioning.

The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) decided to await clarification on certain points of the Hillsborough Declaration on 1 April 1999 before making its final decision on the establishment of the Executive.

  

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Remembering all innocent victims of the Troubles

Today is the anniversary of the death of the following people killed as a results of the conflict in Northern Ireland

“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die

– Thomas Campbell

To the innocent on the list – Your memory will live forever

– To the Paramilitaries –

There are many things worth living for, a few things worth dying for, but nothing worth killing for.

10  People lost their lives on the 3rd   April  between 1970– 1991

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03 April 1970
 Richard Fallon,  (42)

nfNIRI
Status: Garda Siochana (GS),

Killed by: Saor Eire (SE)
Shot, during armed robbery at Bank of Ireland, Arran Quay, Dublin.

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03 April 1975
 Martin McVeigh,  (22)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Shot while cycling home from work, Ballyoran Park, Portadown, County Armagh

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03 April 1975
 Alan Simpson,  (19)

Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Association (UDA),

Killed by: non-specific Republican group (REP)
Shot at his home, Highfield Drive, Highfield, Belfast.

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03 April 1982
 Patrick Scott,   (27)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Found shot, Dunville Street, Lower Falls, Belfast. Alleged informer.

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03 April 1983
 James McCormick,   (45)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot at his home, Balligan Gardens, Kilcooley, Bangor, County Down.

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03 April 1985


 Michael Kay,  (38)

Protestant
Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed by remote controlled bomb, hidden in parked car, detonated when Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) patrol passed, outside Courthouse, Downshire Road, Newry, County Down

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03 April 1985


 Kenneth Parry,  (55)

nfNI
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Originally from England. Killed by remote controlled bomb, hidden in parked car, detonated when Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) patrol passed, outside Courthouse, Downshire Road, Newry, County Down. He was employed at the Courthouse.

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03 April 1987


 James Oldman,  (39)

Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Shot outside his shop, Ederny, County Fermanagh.

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03 April 1987


 George Shaw,  (51)

Protestant
Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot outside Ballynahinch Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, County Down

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03 April 1991
 Samuel Bell,  (54)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Taxi driver. Found shot beside his burnt out car, Thompson’s Lane, off Glencairn Road, Belfast.

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26th January – Deaths & Events in Northern Ireland Troubles

Deaths in the Troubles, , , , , , ,

 

Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

26th January

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Sunday 26 January 1969

William Morgan, then Minister of Health and Social Services, resigned from the Northern Ireland government

Thursday 26 March 1970

The Police (Northern Ireland) Act became law. The act provided for the disarmament of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the establishment of an RUC reserve force. The Act established the Police Authority of Northern Ireland (PANI) which was meant to contain representatives from across the community.

[None of the main Nationalist parties have ever taken part in the PANI.]

Thursday 26 January 1984

The Hennessy Report, into the mass escape of 38 Republican prisoners from the Maze Prison on 25 September 1983, was published. Most of the responsibility for the escape was placed on prison staff. James Prior, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, stated that there would be no ministerial resignations as a result of the report.

 

Tuesday 26 January 1988

James Molyneaux, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) met with Tom King, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and proposed a form of devolved administration for Northern Ireland. The system proposed involved committees with chairpersons being decided on party strength.

Thursday 26 January 1989

The report of an independent inquiry into the claims made in the Thames Television documentary Death on the Rock vindicated the programme. Margaret Thatcher, then British Prime Minister, criticised the report.

Saturday 26 January 1991

The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) carried out a raid on the premises of An Phoblacht (Republican News) in west Belfast. The RUC removed computer equipment and computer disks from the building.

Monday 26 January 1998

UDP Expelled From Talks

The multi-party talks switched venue from Stormont in Belfast to Lancaster House in London in an attempt to inject impetus to the search for a political settlement.

However, following the revelation that the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), had been involved in the killing of (at least) three Catholics in the previous couple of weeks there were calls for the expulsion of the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) which is politically associated with the UDA / UFF.

The British and Irish governments, at the insistence of some of the other political parties, took the final decision to expel the UDP. By this time the UDP had already left the talks venue. The two governments issued a document on UDP participation. This indicated that the UDP could re-enter the talks process if the UFF maintained its renewed ceasefire.

[Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, revealed that she knew on 12 January 1998 of the UFF’s breach of its ceasefire. Mowlam must have been informed of this by Ronnie Flanagan, then Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). Flanagan only made the information public on 22 January 1998. Immediately after the UFF was named as being responsible it called a renewed ceasefire. During the 10 day delay in making the announcement public three Catholic civilians were killed by Loyalist paramilitaries.]

The funeral of Liam Conway, shot dead by the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), took place in Donaghmore, County Tyrone. His blind brother helped carry the coffin.

It was revealed that a member of a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) patrol in Derry pointed a gun at a Catholic security man outside a night club and fired a blank bullet. [This incident

Tuesday 26 January 1999

A Catholic family who have lived for 42 years on a mainly Protestant estate near Carrickfergus, County Antrim, discovered a pipe-bomb beside their car. The Red Hand Defenders (RHD) later claimed responsibility. The family said they were shocked at the attack.

[In 2001 it became apparent that RHD was a cover name used by both the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).]

Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, published draft legislation that defined the departmental structures in the Northern Ireland Assembly. John McFall, then Education Minister, announced a school building programme of over £67 million.

Friday 26 January 2001

There was a pipe-bomb attack in Ballymoney. It took place in the same housing estate where the Quinn children were killed on 12 July 1998. The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) said it could not rule out a sectarian motive for the attack. There were pipe-bomb attacks on the homes of two Catholic families in the Waterside area of Derry. The two families were related.

[Only one of the devices was found at the time, the remains of the second device was discovered on Sunday 28 January 2001.]

The attacks were carried out by Loyalist paramilitaries.

Saturday 26 January 2002

Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), said that he agreed in principle that the Omagh bombers should be brought to justice. However he stated that the real issue was how the police had dealt with the information already in its possession. Adams said that people would make their own judgement on whether information should be passed to the police and that many would see it as “a moral issue” (BBC, ‘Inside Politics’).

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Remembering all innocent victims of the Troubles

Today is the anniversary of the death of the following  people killed as a results of the conflict in Northern Ireland

“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die

– Thomas Campbell

To the innocent on the list – Your memory will live  forever

– To  the Paramilitaries  –

There are many things worth living for, a few things worth dying for, but nothing worth killing for.

6  People   lost their lives on the 26th January  between  1972– 1992

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26 January 1972
 Peter McNulty,  (47)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in premature bomb explosion during attack on Castlewellan Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, County Down.

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26 January 1974


 John Rodgers,  (50)

Protestant
Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot while on Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) foot patrol, Antrim Road, Glengormley, near Belfast, County Antrim.

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26 January 1975


 Edward Wilson,  (16)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Air Cadet. Killed by booby trap bomb at Air Training Corps premises, Old Cavehill Road, Belfast.

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26 January 1980
 Errol Pryce,   (21)

nfNI

Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot by sniper while on British Army (BA) foot patrol, Whiterock Road, Ballymurphy, Belfast

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26 January 1987


 George Shaw,  (57)

Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Shot outside his home, Coalisland Road, Dungannon, County Tyrone

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26 January 1992
 John McIvor,  (36)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Found stabbed to death, in the toilets of Liverpool Supporters’ Social Club, Templemore Avenue, Belfast. 

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